Lawn Mowers

Are you planning to hire lawn maintenance services this coming summer? If so what services do you need and how much will they cost? Most people have no idea what they need to have done and what services are available for consumers. Most of us just cut the lawn once a week whether it needs it or not, we never trim the edges, remove weeds, or add fertilizer. Some people do not even bother watering the lawn and it shows. We have one neighbor who only cuts his lawn once every two weeks if we are lucky and does nothing else. He has the temerity to say to us that from a distance his lawn looks green and healthy.

Never mind when you get up close you can see that it is full of weeds. His dandelion crop is as bad as the properties owned by the city, which is another total embarrassment.  It does not take much to maintain a lawn, water, fertilizer, weed control, and regular mowing of the lawn. That is all it takes to have a reasonably nice lawn.

What do Lawn Maintenance Services Include

What are the services that lawn maintenance services companies offer and that you may need if you want your lawn looking great? These services include mowing the lawn, disposing of grass clippings and any other debris that is on the lawn, edging the lawn along sidewalks, adding fertilizer at the right times, and adding weed killer and grub killer at the appropriate times. If you have shrubs and flowers that need trimming, moving, or planting, we are quite sure that they will do this as well. It all comes for a price and it is really up to you how much you do yourself vs how much is completed by the lawn maintenance services company you hire.

Cutting the Lawn

The lawn should be cut once a week and not too short during the summer. The edging should also be completed every week as well at the same time the lawn is being cut. Fertilizer should be added 3 or 4 times a year – spring, early summer, late summer, and fall. Weed killer and grub killer can be added in the spring and also in late august for the grubs. Trimming of shrubs should really be completed in late summer after the plants have flowered. This helps to get them ready for the fall and winter.

You may also want to overseed your lawn to thicken it up. A thick lawn makes it more difficult for weeds to get started. Some locations may also need to be repaired. Either add a piece of sod to replace dead grass or add grass seed. Place good topsoil over it for the seeds to germinate and grow. You will need to water both daily to ensure that the roots take hold and penetrate the soil below. Overseeding is a great way to keep your grass looking thick and healthy as well as keeping the weeds away.

Companies

The lawn maintenance services company should provide a schedule for you to follow and agree to. The more visits you have the more it is going to cost. You may want to consider doing some of the work yourself. Ask for quotes and compare details from several companies before making a decision. Make sure that your quote and estimate are very specific. It should include all of the things that you have discussed and expect to be provided. If it is not on the contract, it likely will not be done for you.

There are many lawn care companies offering their services in every city and town across the country to people that either needs the services because they cannot do the work themselves or they just prefer to have someone to look after their lawns for them. Some companies consist of one-person companies that really only cut and trim lawns while others offer a variety of services and have several crews of lawn care people working all year long. They typically try to offer a variety of services to keep their people employed all through the year, especially if they have good people working for them.

In the summer they cut and trim lawns, reseed lawns add fertilizer. They also deal with weeds and provide shrub trimming and hedge trimming. In the fall there are often leaves to clean up and there are many shrubs to trim and get ready for the winter. In the spring after the snow has gone, the lawn needs to be prepped for the growing season which includes fertilizer and weed control as well as clearing away any debris that is leftover from the winter.

Lawn Care Companies – Services

If you are considering a lawn car company, you may want to think about the services you will need and have them quote on these services to provide a total price. For example, you may need the following:

• Cutting the lawn
• Trimming around gardens, sidewalks, and driveways, etc
• Aeration
• Watering
• Fertilizer
• Weed Control
• Insect control – ants, grubs, etc
• Reseeding of the lawn if needed
• Leaf and debris removal
• Trimming Shrubs
• Adding mulch to gardens
• Tree trimming

During the winter months, these same companies offer snow clearing services from driveways and sidewalks for both homeowners and businesses. During slow times there is equipment to maintain and repair and a core set of employees are kept occupied doing this sort of work.

Customers who need the services of lawn care companies can use their services all year round if so desired and perhaps negotiate a better deal for all services combined.

Lawn Care Companies – Southern Climates

Lawn care companies in southern climates have a much different environment to deal with. They may be doing a lot more tree and shrub trimming as well as maintaining lawns all year round to stay in business. In desert climates, the lawn is scalped in the fall, and winter grass is planted. The winter grass grows and flourishes all winter long while the summer grass will go dormant during the wintertime and then begins growing again in the spring. When the temperature is hot enough the sun will kill off the winter grass allowing the summer grass to flourish. While this may all sound complicated, it is the job of the lawn care companies to keep the lawn looking great all year long.

Choose your lawn care company carefully and ask for references. Visit some of the properties they maintain and make sure that any of the references they provide are customers that have been with them for some time.

This seems like an odd subject, lawn care and snow removal in the same post. Well it turns out that many companies that provide snow clearing services during the winter also provide lawn care services to their customers during the summer as well.  They may also provide landscaping services in addition to maintaining lawns etc.  Snow removal can include removing snow from driveways and sidewalks. They may also remove snow from the roof when it gets too deep on the roof. Lawn care includes cutting and trimming the lawn, adding fertilizer, and pesticides to kill the weeds. In some climates, the lawn must be skelped twice a year and the lawn re-seeded.  Fortunately, these areas typically do not have problems with snow.

Lawn Care and Snow Removal

We have written a number of pages on this site about lawn care and would urge readers to refer to these pages if you need information about hiring a lawn care company. Always ask for quotes and make sure that all of the services that you are looking for are listed and included in the price. If it is not there it is not likely to be provided to you.  We wrote several pages about the process of hiring lawn care companies and what to ask for. To summarize:

• Have a contract
• List all services
• How often your lawn will be cared for
• Prices for any additional services and materials
• Price for services.

Try asking for Discounts

If they also provide snow clearing service in the wintertime, you might ask them for a discount. Based on using them in the winter as well as in the summer for your lawn care service. We have written many posts about snow clearing and reviews of snow blowers as well on a companion web site. A link to selecting a snow clearing service can be found by clicking here. If snow clearing is not something you need, you may also require fall and spring cleanup of your yard for example. These companies routinely provide all sorts of services during these slow periods in an effort to keep their people working and employed.

There are business advantages to providing both kinds of services. Anytime you can keep your business going all year round and keep your employees working is a good business move. Cultivate your clients to see what added business services you can offer them in all four seasons. Many customers will appreciate the fact that you are offering a discount to your most loyal customers and providing them excellent service at the same time.

We also suggest that you have regular conversations with your customer to make sure that they are totally satisfied with your work and willing to recommend you to other friends and neighbors. Advertising is expensive, but so are bad recommendations. They can rob your business of much-needed revenue and give you a bad name in the industry. By talking with your customer at regular intervals, you can find out just what they like about your services and those things that bother them and might prevent them from recommending your business to other customers.

Home owners who are looking for the best lawn care companies should really review several companies, ask for references, visit properties that are being maintained by the short list of companies that you are considering and sign a contract with the company that you end up selecting. There are a lot of issues in that first sentence. We will expand a bit more on each of the topics. If you have questions please leave a comment and we will try to address your question on this post.

Choosing the Best Lawn Care Companies

Review Several Companies – at the minimum you will want to interview at least three companies. Compare the prices offered for the lawn care services that you are looking for. You may be surprised that the services offered will vary. The prices for those services will vary a great deal as well. Always ask them for exactly the same services. Request that they meet those requirements or state those that they do not offer. They should also indicate the individual price for each service as well as a total price. This provides more information to compare to.

Short List Companies – once you have your list of companies, narrow your list down to two or three companies. Focus on negotiating a deal with both companies before selecting the one that you are comfortable with.

Request references and Follow up – you should request references from all companies when you talk to any company that you are considering. Ask for the addresses. Ask for names and phone numbers of the people who own these homes. You may want to visit these homes to see how their lawns etc look. As well as speak to them to see how satisfied overall they are with the services. If you can and if the people you are speaking with have the same services, talk to them about the individual services that you are considering. Thank them for their comments. Privately evaluate their comments in relationship to your own assessment of quality and detail that is needed for your lawn.

Visit Several Properties

As mentioned at least visit the properties that have been provided as references for the best lawn care companies that you are considering. You can learn a lot by looking at other properties maintained by the company that you are considering hiring.

Sign a Contract – this is always a must. This is all about clear communication, avoiding misunderstandings and assumptions that get us all in trouble at one time or another. Specify all of the services that you are considering, the price, how often they will be completed and the anticipated quality level if you can clearly cover this. Contracts are an excellent communications device since it clears up any assumptions. Once you hire the company reconfirmed the services the first day they are there to do any work for you.

Follow Up and Monitor – always follow-up and monitor the work that is being completed for you. It let’s the contractor know that you are interested and paying attention. Make sure that the people doing the work know what is in the contract and understand what is required. If there is any disconnect, review your contract with the foreman to make sure that there is clarification with the people doing the work.

All of this sounds like over kill for a simple lawn care company contract, however this is the best way to avoid any future problems and help you find the best lawn care companies. Consumers can avoid many issues by simply following through with this sort of approach to the best lawn care companies.

Want your lawn to look like this one on the left? You probably should be prepared to hire a Landscape and Lawn Care Services company. Also to spend money on fertilizer and weed killer and lots of water to get your lawn looking like this one on the left. Of course with a large lot and home like this particular house, most people are going to think that they can afford it and why not. Beautiful lawns make a property look great. Next to the house, this is the first thing you look at when you approach a property. Talk about creating a first impression!

Create an Impression – Landscape and Lawn Care Services

This is why hiring the right lawn maintenance companies can really make a difference to the impression that your home leaves with visitors when they come to your home. That first impression you get is all-important. From the outside, there is your home’s overall architectural look and then there are the surrounding gardens, landscaping and the lawn of course.

Lawn maintenance companies know that the secret to a great looking lawn is controlled by the following:

• Applying grass seed at regular intervals to thicken the lawn
• Applying fertilizer at least 4 times a year
• Regular watering
• Mowing your grass so that no more than 1/3 of the blade is removed at a time
• Applying the appropriate weed killer, grub killer, etc when needed to deal with these pests.

Landscape and Lawn Care Services Rules

These are the five key rules and activities that will ensure that you have a healthy, lush green lawn. You will be able to show off to all of your visitors.

Starting from this basic set of requirements, homeowners can decide what work they wish to take on vs. what they would like a lawn maintenance company to do for them. Lawn maintenance will typically do all of the activities for you listed above except for the watering, which is usually completed using automated watering systems. Consumers can contract everything or just the maintenance that they prefer not to do.

Some people really enjoy getting on a riding lawn mower every week to mow their lawn, while others either find it too boring or just do not have the time for this activity. Mowing your lawn takes the largest commitment while adding fertilizer and weed spray is less time-consuming. Consumers can ask for a package deal that includes everything or just those activities that they are not interested in doing.

You Request Improved Service

One comment that consumers should note is that if you are paying someone to do everything you have the right to complain if your lawn is not doing well. The lawn maintenance company should be taking care of the lawn to make sure it is always looking great. On the other hand, if the consumer is doing some of the work, then there may be shared blame. It is difficult to assign blame if the lawn is not doing as well as you think it should. Continuous monitoring and activity are needed to maintain a great lawn.

One final comment about lawn maintenance companies is needed. Just like all other work that you arrange to be completed around your home or even the office, there should always be a contract. It should spell out in detail exactly what services are being provided by the lawn maintenance company. Also when they will be provided. This is just a matter of communication and ensuring that everyone is working under the same understanding and assumptions. If there is no contract with these details written down, there will always be disagreements between participants. This could lead to acrimonious feelings from one or both parties. We strongly urge consumers to always have a contract. Spell out the details and also the termination notice that is required by both parties along with payment details.

Lawn care 101 – we all want to have a lush green lawn with no weeds that looks like a golf course and does not have any weeds. Some of us do not know how to make our lawns look like this and some people just do not want to do the work. They feel that it is too much work and they are also overwhelmed by what they perceive as spending a lot of money and time. We decided to write this post to try to illustrate just how easy it is to have a nice lawn, maybe not like the golf course, or the neighbors down the street that is perfect. A lawn that you can be proud of without doing a great deal of work or spending a great deal of money. We are calling this post lawn care 101 because of it.

The Basics of Lawn Care – Lawn Care 101

Water, fertilizer, dealing with weeds, thickening, and lawn cutting are the basics of keeping your lawn looking great. We will cover these in more detail.

Watering your lawn is important to keep it healthy, however, there are proper ways to water your lawn and there are bad ways. When you water the lawn, at least one inch of water should be sprinkled on the lawn. The water penetrates to the roots and helps the roots grow deeply. Water once a week when it is dry, and less often if you have a good rain to keep your lawn looking great. Light watering promotes surface root growth making the lawn more susceptible to dry weather.

Fertilize your lawn at least 4 times a year. Early spring, early summer, late summer, and late fall are the usual times to add fertilizer to your lawn. Different types of fertilizer are used to promote the growth of the lawn, root growth, etc.  Most garden stores will be able to assist you in purchasing the right kind of fertilizer for your particular lawn and the time of year. Use a spreader to spread the fertilizer evenly across the lawn and avoid dropping too much in one place. This could burn your lawn and even kill the grass. Follow the instructions on the package for watering etc.

Dealing with weeds is a bit more complex.

Some fertilizers still have pesticides in them depending on where you live. Use a weed and feed product to fertilize the lawn and to kill the weeds at the same time. When you are spreading the weed and feed fertilizer, be careful. Avoid the material going into gardens and getting on plants that might be susceptible to the pesticides. In these areas you may have to use a hand spreader or a liquid spray to be more accurate, where the pesticide is being placed. If you are taking an organic approach, consumers will have to pull weeds by hand to get rid of them. A few minutes each week may be all that is required once you get ahead of all of the weeds.

Thickening your lawn is another way of keeping it healthy. Spread grass seed in the spring around your lawn focusing on areas where the grass has thinned out. Also, spread high-quality earth with a sandy loan mixture over your lawn as well once the grass seed has been spread. Water your lawn to soak in the earth and the grass seed and help the grass seed to germinate. Make sure that the weather is warm enough to germinate the lawn seed and avoid placing fertilizer on your lawn for a few weeks to avoid the fertilizer burning the grass seed as it begins to grow.

Mowing your lawn

Mowing your lawn should be completed on a regular basis. Never cut more than 1/3 of the grass length when you are mowing to avoid damaging the grass. Always make sure your blade is sharp to avoid tearing the grass as well. Using a mulching lawnmower makes your job of cutting the lawn easier. You do not need to bag the grass cuttings. A self-propelled lawnmower is also advantage. Especially if you have a large lawn or have to mow your lawn more often.

Once you have your lawn in shape, the work will be minimized to just mowing the lawn. Also watering and 10 minutes a week pulling weeds. You will have a great lawn that does not take a lot of time and effort.

Save

We all want to have a healthy lawn just like the one in this picture. The only way to really have one like this is to make sure that you follow a healthy lawn care program that is provided by a professional company or you do it yourself. We will cover some of the steps you can take to have a lawn like this in this post. A healthy lawn is not that difficult. All it takes is weekly care, water, fertilizer, and weed care and the majority of homeowners will have a lawn just like this. However, let’s examine these steps in more detail.

Steps to a Healthy Lawn Care Program

Fertilizer – the best fertilizer is a slow-release fertilizer applied 4 times a year. There are specific fertilizers that can be applied depending on the time of year. Spring fertilizer tends to promote the growth of your lawn while fertilizer for the fall is focused on root growth

Lime – adding lime may not be necessary. The only way to tell is to have your lawns PH tested and if the PH is low, you can add lime to bring the PH up. An indicator of low PH is when you have a lot of moss growing in various places on your lawn.

Aeration – allows the air and rainwater to penetrate deeper to provide nourishment for the roots. Always do this before adding fertilizer or top dressing.

Top Dressing and Over Seeding – If your lawn is thin in some areas, add a thin layer of top dressing soil along with lawn seed to thicken the lawn and provide fresh growth. Be sure to water your lawn to promote growth.

Mowing

Your lawn should be mowed often taking off no more than 1/3  of the lawn growth. Mulching your grass returns nitrogen to the lawn and reduces the garbage that you must put out each week.

Watering – water in the morning to minimize evaporation and prevent disease growth from the grass being wet overnight. Also, water so that your lawn gets a deep watering to promote deeper roots vs. watering often which will promote surface root growth.

Variety – plant grass that is suitable for your location and climate. A variety of grasses will be better able to withstand shady and sunny areas as well as temperature swings

Manage Pests – chinch bugs are the scourge of many lawn growers. They attack the roots and make your lawn more susceptible to dry periods. Water more often, let the grass grow longer, and overseed when the grass becomes thinner.

Grubs

Skunks and raccoons love grubs in your lawn and they will dig up your lawn making a terrible mess to get to them. Apply pesticides to control the grubs and avoid this problem. In some areas, pesticides are banned. The best approach is to keep your lawn healthy, water lots, overseed, and apply Nematodes. Nematodes are actually bugs that attack and kill grubs. They are best applied in June and July when the ground temperature is above 14 degrees Celsius. The best time to apply them is when it is raining so that they are washed into the soil. Ultraviolet rays from the sun will kill them.

A Healthy Lawn care program Increases your Homes Value

Consumers will have healthy lawns if they follow all of these steps which can easily be done by most. There are lawn care services available from local companies that will routinely fertilize your lawn and apply pesticides to control your lawns weeds and pests.

It is also better to mulch your lawn’s grass and to cut your grass often. It is easier to cut your grass if you do it more often and less harmful to the grass of the lawn. Many lawn owners will let their grass grow long and then cut it. They end up with long grass that must be raked and bagged and the grass may even go into shock when it is cut after being so long.

During dry periods either water a lot at one time or not at all. Your lawn will suffer if you do not water, however, it will go into a dormant state and rejuvenate itself once it rains again. During this time it is much more susceptible to weeds and pests taking over. Weeds seem to be able to grow in any condition even in very dry weather conditions. Enjoy your lawn and take care of it.

Organic Lawn Services covers a lot of things some of which we have outlined below and in previous posts. Our previous posts have discussed the height of the lawn and also the amount of water to apply. This post continues with the theme of organic lawn care. Discussing the types of fertilizer to use on your lawn to maintain a strong healthy-looking lawn that looks great. A healthy lawn can also fight invasions of various weeds and pests.

The principle mentioned in our first post about purely organic lawn care is to maintain a healthy lawn. Do this so that the weeds cannot compete with your lawn! A healthy lawn will do a lot more to keeping the weeds down. You can avoid having to use pesticides as well!

Refer to some of our previous posts that talk about PH levels, cutting and watering your grass, and digging out those pesky dandelions if you have them.

Types of Fertilizer to use for a Natural Green Organic Lawn

I have often wondered what was the difference between organic and inorganic fertilizer.  Well, it turns out that it is more to do with origin than components. Inorganic fertilizer is either mined or produced using synthetic manufacturing methods. It has nutrients added that are specifically for the plants you are trying to help grow. That is one of the reasons that fertilizer for lawns will be different from fertilizer for vegetables.

Organic fertilizer is made from organic materials such as chicken litter, manure, worm castings, compost, seaweed, guano, bone meal, or naturally occurring mineral deposits (e.g. saltpeter). The objective of many people when they use organic materials is to avoid the use of chemicals.

They often fail to realize or think about the possible contaminants that could also be in the organic fertilizers. For me, I want to stay away from pesticides. Since they have been proven to cause harm to humans as well as animal life. Whether I use organic or inorganic fertilizer is less important for me.

Add Lawn Fertilizer For the Best Organic Lawn Services

Whether you are using inorganic or organic-based lawn care,  you need to add the right kind of fertilizer to your lawn at the right time of year. There are three components to most fertilizers –

– nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

If you purchase a bag of fertilizer of  50 pounds, a 50-pound bag of 22-3-14 fertilizer has 11 pounds of nitrogen, 1.5 pounds of phosphorus, and 7 pounds of potassium in it. The rest is filler or secondary ingredients like iron that help the important components disperse more evenly.

• Nitrogen – aids in blade growth or the top part of the plant
• Phosphorus – aids in root growth
• Potassium – keeps the plant healthy and disease resistant

You need all three components to ensure you have a healthy lawn, the roots are deep where they can reach water during dry spells. The blades are thick and strong to resist weeds. The plant overall is healthy so it can maintain itself during harsh conditions such as too much rain or too little rain or even cold conditions. A strong healthy lawn also looks great too.

Apply nitrogen-rich fertilizers in the spring and early summer and then low nitrogen fertilizers later in the year as the grass goes into a dormant phase. For example, you do not want your grass growing during the fall when it is supposed to be entering a dormant phase.

Organic Lawn Services – Avoid Burning Your Lawn

High nitrogen fertilizers can also burn your lawn if not applied properly. Spread it thinly and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Organic lawn care service people will tell you that organic fertilizers are lower in nitrogen content so there is less chance of burning or harming your lawn with organic-based fertilizer. Also, your grass clippings will contain all three elements. If you mulch your lawn clippings the three chemicals will go directly back into your lawn as food. It also acts as a blanket to conserve moisture as well for the roots.

If you are planning to use an Organic Lawn Service, always review with them what they plan to use, how often it will be applied, and whether you need to water afterward or not. Make sure that you have it in writing so that if you do not get the results you are expecting, you will then have something to back you up.

One negative side effect of having a strong healthy lawn is that you will need to mow the lawn more often since it grows faster. In addition, if you plan to use a mulching lawnmower, you should not let the grass grow more than one inch before you mow the lawn to obtain the most advantage from the mulching process. The lawn suffers less damage as well when you mow it more often and mulch the grass clippings.

We are doing a series of posts about lawn care and this post discusses your lawn PH levels and the effect it can have on the health of your lawn. Our initial reason for doing this series of posts was really about how to keep the weeds down and avoid have a lawn that looks more like a weed garden. Turns out there are a number of things you can do to keep your lawn looking great without needing a lot of chemicals, which we have listed below.

This post talks about the PH level, however, you should also review previous posts about watering, fertilizer, and general lawn care. These areas are just as important as PH levels.

In summary, Lawn Care is a list of things or steps that should provide you with one of the best healthy-looking lawns in the neighborhood. Our list as previously mentioned is:

• Mow high grass mow high weeds
• Lawnmower
• Lawn care must do: water infrequently
• Fertilizer
• Lawn care pH
• Weeds
• Lawn Care Enhancements

Lawn PH Levels

Turns out that dandelions like a lawn that has a PH level of around 7.5 and will thrive even more than they already do with a PH that is 7.5 or higher. If you have a lot of dandelions it could be that there is just a lot in the area, but it could also be because of the PH level.

There are PH testers on the market, however, some are not very accurate and it is better to pay a little more to get a good one than work with inaccurate numbers. Your grass would prefer a level around 6.5  which also deter the dandelions. Note that if the soil in your lawn is at 6.5 it will not stop the dandelions, but it should curtail them a great deal.

Test Your Lawn PH Levels

You can either purchase a tester to check your lawn’s PH level or arrange for a lawn care company to come around and test the lawn for you for a nominal fee. Of course, they will want to sell you a lawn care package, however, that is really the subject of future posts.

Once you have determined the accurate PH level of your lawn by taking samples in several areas of your lawn, it is time to add the appropriate chemical to change the PH level. Test your lawn at various locations. It is quite possible that your lawn could be fine in one area and in another location, the PH level could be a way off.  Check it all around the area under suspicion to make sure that you are only treating the area that needs treatment.

Use Lime and Sulfur

You use lime to raise the PH level and sulfur to the lawn to lower the PH level. How much of either depends on your lawn’s relative PH level and also how you will apply it. Application of almost anything to your lawn in too heavy a concentration will certainly damage your lawn. Use a lawn spreader to spread the chemicals so it is evenly applied and not so dense that it hurts the lawn. follow the manufacturer’s instructions to get the best results.

There is a lot more about adjusting a lawn’s PH level that we can discuss, however, most people are not going to go beyond what we have discussed previously. Our recommendation is to keep it simple and follow the instructions that come with the bag. Have your lawn professionally tested so that you are confident that you will add the right chemical if any is needed. The entire neighborhood will be envious of your lawn and how healthy it looks.

In future posts, we will talk more about lawn care services, lawn soil depth, and some more about fertilizers and also about PH levels. Stay tuned.

Organic Lawn Care service covers a lot of things some of which we have outlined below. Our previous posts have discussed the height of the lawn and also the amount of water to apply. This post continues with the theme of organic lawn care and discusses the types of fertilizer to use on your lawn. Scroll down to the section on fertilizer to use if you have already read this general section on maintaining and looking after a  healthy lawn.

The idea as mentioned in our first post about purely organic lawn care is to maintain a healthy lawn so that the weeds cannot compete with your lawn! A healthy lawn will do a lot more to keeping the weeds down and you can avoid having to use pesticides as well!

Organic Lawn Care Service – Summary

In summary, Organic Lawn Care service is a list of things or steps that should provide you with one of the best healthy-looking lawns in the neighborhood. Our list as previously mentioned is:

• Mow high grass mow high weeds
• Lawnmower
• Lawn care must do: water infrequently
• Fertilizer:
• Lawn care pH:
• Lawn care weeds:
• Enhancements for lawn care
• Lawn Care Providers
  • What variety of grass should I plant?
  • My soil is more like dirt. How do I improve it?
  • How do I get rid of mushrooms?
  • My grass is all thin and dead-ish, what is your advice on overseeding?

Types of Fertilizer to use for a Natural Green Organic Lawn

It turns out that deciding what type of fertilizer to use on your lawn is more complicated than the writer originally thought. I have tried  to keep it simple over the years with my own lawn by following the steps outlined below:

• Fertilize 4 times a year
• Apply the right kind of fertilizer for the season
• Apply grass seed every year in the spring and also in the fall to keep it thick
• Keep the weeds down by having a healthy lawn

Now that we have been legislated to only use organic weed control, it means that we need that healthy lawn and we need to get down on our hands and knees to pull any weeds we do see on our lawn.

The above set of easy rules has served me well over the years and fortunately, my local hardware store has always had the right kind of fertilizer for the season that we were in. I did not really have to think about it at all. They always had the right stuff available, but I am sure there is a lot more to it than that, so I decided to investigate further to see if there is anything I could do to improve on the above pretty simple set of guidelines for my organic lawn care.

Organic Lawn Care Service – Seasons

First of all, you need to understand whether you have cool-season grass or warm-season grass. The kind of fertilizer you apply depends on the type of grass and also whether it is in a dormant phase or not. You could be applying fertilizer to grass that is in a dormant phase and really only helping the weeds.

Once you know what your grass type is and that it is not dormant, the next thing is the time of year. Spring is a strong growth period, while hot summers tend to be dormant. Fall growing is limited by the temperature you have to deal with. In cold climates, grasses go dormant much sooner than in southern areas.

Grasses like nitrogen so applying fertilizer with a high nitrogen level is always a good idea. Adding limited amounts of phosphorus and potash in the spring with more in the fall of these last two chemicals.

If this all sounds confusing, that’s because it is and most people do not want to deal with this level of complexity. They can either follow my simple rules above or have an organic lawn care service look after their lawn for them.

In future posts, we will talk more about fertilizers and also about PH levels. stay tuned.

Purely Organic Lawn Care was the topic of our last post. We are continuing this series about natural green lawn care with a post about the proper amount of watering for your lawn. It is important to realize that all of these things should be followed to ensure that your lawn is always green.

Natural green lawn care can be obtained by following some or all of the steps outlined below.  This post is going to discuss the amount of water that you should apply to your lawn in order to have a natural green lawn. this is all about having healthy grass to help it compete against all of the weeds.

A List of Items to Check for Natural Green Lawn Care

(Refer to our post about purely organic lawn care post to learn more about cutting your lawn at the right height):

• Mow high grass mow high weeds
• Lawnmower
• Lawn care must do: water infrequently
• Fertilizer:
• Lawn care pH:
• Weed Control:
• Lawn Care Enhancements:
• Providers
  • What variety of grass should I plant?
  • My soil is more like dirt. How do I improve it?
  • How do I get rid of mushrooms?
  • My grass is all thin and dead-ish, what is your advice on overseeding?

How Often Should you Water Your Lawn?

Watering your lawn goes hand in hand with cutting your lawn high and allowing the roots to grow deeply to take advantage of water that is deep in the soil. For example, if you water your lawn for 30 minutes every day, you are basically training the root system to only grow in the shallow part of the earth where the water is. The moment you stop watering the soil will dry up and the roots will also dry, possibly killing your lawn.

The trick is to water once per week and water for a long time so that at least 2 inches of water is put on your lawn. The water penetrates deeply and remains there for most of the week because you have kept your grass long with lots of thatch to prevent evaporation of moisture from the soil. The grassroots are going to go deep after the water making the lawn stronger and more able to survive dry periods.

A strong healthy lawn will be better able to withstand any weeds that try to gain a hold on the lawn. Weed seedlings will be unable to penetrate the thatch and you will have a natural green lawn absent of weeds as a result.

Natural Water sources or Rain

The amount of watering you do will vary throughout the growing season. In the spring you will usually receive more rain and the need for watering will be less, while in the summer during dryer times, you may need to water more often. You can check how dry your soil is by taking a shovel and digging a small hole to see just who much moisture is in the soil. A moisture meter can also be used, however for most people just digging a small hole will be sufficient.

If the soil is dry, you know it is time to start watering. You may want to water for a couple of hours, let the water oak in, and then add another inch of water on the lawn to make sure that there is deep penetration.

Test Your Watering System

If you are wondering how to tell how much water is getting on your lawn, all you need to do is place a small can that is open at the end. After an hour of watering, check the water level in the can to see how much water is in it. After you have done this a few times you will soon know without the can when the lawn has had enough water.

These natural green lawn care methods are an easy way to ensure that you will have a green lawn.  We welcome comments about lawn care, organic lawn care, and natural green lawn care.  We have talked about lawn height and the amount of watering on your lawn. Our next post will discuss the application of fertilizer on your lawn in the next step to having a great lawn.

What is Purely Organic Lawn Care? We saw this term being used to advertise lawn care services and products and wondered what this really meant? It is also in line with the last few posts that we have written on this site about lawn care and how to have a really great lawn without having to use a lot of pesticides.

Well, it turns out that purely organic lawn care is really a system or set of steps that you follow that prohibits the use of pesticides and employs processes that really are aimed at helping your lawn fight the onset of weeds and to also stay healthy. We thought it would be useful to discuss some of these in the next series of posts since it is spring and this is the best time really to give your lawn a healthy start for the year. If you are not following a purely organic lawn care approach, consider how easy it is before you throw all of those chemicals on the lawn.

Purely Organic Lawn Care

In summary, what is Purely Organic Lawn Care? here is a list of things or steps that should provide you with one of the best healthy-looking lawns in the neighborhood:

• Mow high grass mow high weeds
• Lawnmower
• Lawn care must do: water infrequently
• Fertilizer:
• Lawn care pH:
• Weeds:
• Lawn Care Enhancements:
• Lawn Care Providers
  • What variety of grass should I plant?
  • My soil is more like dirt. How do I improve it?
  • How do I get rid of mushrooms?
  • My grass is all thin and dry looking, what is your advice on overseeding?

Over the next few posts, we will go into each of these in more detail and explain some of the reasoning behind each of these suggestions for following a purely organic lawn care approach. It may take a bit more care and work than it would achieve that golf green type lawn, but it will be worth it when you can claim that you are not using any pesticides on your lawn!

The main criteria to remember is that a healthy strong lawn will always make your job of a healthy lawn and achieving purely organic lawn care easy. A healthy lawn can compete with the weeds and also withstand dry periods much easier. Let’s look at this in more detail.

Mow high grass mow high weeds

There are lots of advantages to allowing your grass to grow higher. By high grass we, first of all, mean that you should set your lawn mower at its highest height to allow the grass to grow properly and for the roots to grow deeper as well. Longer grass provides more room for thatch to build up. This prevents moisture from evaporating around the base of the lawn and it also prevents the seeds of weeds from penetrating to the ground and taking root. those that do begin to grow must fight to gain the sunlight and mature. your lawn can compete very well in this condition.

Allow the grass to grow longer also causes the roots to grow deeper as well. As the ground dries out during a dry spell, the long roots will be able to access the water that is lower down in the earth. The weeds try to do the same thing, however, their best growing is at the top of the weed plant and when you cut these off with your lawnmower and also have thick grass, they have a very difficult time competing with the grass.

Why is it Important to Have longer Grass?

Longer grass blades have more to work with in terms of photosynthesis. using sunlight and water from the roots they can produce the essential nutrients that are needed for strong root growth. Short grass means short roots, while long grass means long roots and a healthy lawn.

In our next post, we will talk about how often you should water your lawn and the impact you have when you water often for a short time vs. watering for a long time once a week. Your comments are welcome and any hints regarding looking after lawns are welcome, especially those of you who enjoy a purely organic lawn care approach.

This post is about Lawn Care in Ottawa. The reason we decided to do a post about Lawn Care in  Ottawa is that we noticed last year when we passed through the city that the place is just filled with dandelions and after some investigation found that the city does not allow pesticides to be used to kill the weeds. They claim that this is driven by environmental issues. However, I suspect that the city is saying we can save a lot of money by not spraying and killing off these dandelions.

The place is filled with them. As a result, homeowners seem to have given up as well on their lawns. It is a potential bonanza for lawn care specialists in Ottawa. However, it seems that many people just do not care enough or do not want to spend money on lawn care. It can be a bit frustrating to see all of those dandelion seeds floating through the air onto your lawn. You know that they are going to take root and grow. All it takes is a few minutes a week to remove the dandelions.

Lawn Care Ottawa can be Pretty Simple

It is actually not that hard to keep your lawn looking nice. Just spend a little time and follow some simple steps. Remember that a healthy lawn can fight weeds more easily if it is healthy and thick. We have seen some lawns that are obviously being taken care of by someone who cares and is doing it the right way. There are no dandelions in their lawns. Here are some simple steps to maintain a healthy lawn:

• Fertilize four times per year
• Water once per week when it is dry
• Apply a bag of lawn seed once per year in the spring
• Let your lawn grow longer during dry periods, one inch will do
• Apply weed killer if allowed in your area
• Pull weeds anytime you see one

The last point may be a pain for many people, however, if you go around once a week or once every two weeks and pull any weeds you see, you will be surprised at how little time it takes. Staying on top of this and not allowing the lawn to get to the stage that is shown in the picture will make your job easy. Once it gets to the stage that this lawn is in, it is a big job to dig out all of the dandelions. There is a lot, so you may want to use some sort of weak killer. Or just take a few hours and pull them yourself. Once it is done, it will only take 5 minutes once per week to maintain your lawn. Keep it in great condition in terms of weeds.

Companies in Ottawa

There are many lawn care companies in Ottawa and other locales. In my experience, they do a good job,. But they do not get the edges along sidewalks and fences and this is where the weeds get a foothold and make their way into your lawn. If you can afford it hire a lawn care company, otherwise spend the time to have a great lawn. Come on Ottawa, get out there and pull weeds. make your lawn healthy also improves the curb appeal of your home as well.

Well, that is about it for lawn care Ottawa. If you have comments that will be valuable for our readers we will be happy to approve them. Comments that have links will also be approved if the comment is helpful to our readers, otherwise, they will just be deleted.

 Our site has been pretty focused on lawn mower reviews for the past year and we thought that since the spring is coming, it is timely to do a few posts about lawn care and how to get that golf green look! In our travels, we see many lawns in various states of health. Some are pristine and it is obvious that the owners take great care of their lawns. They want a great looking lawn that looks fantastic and that adds to the beauty of their home. A great looking lawn also adds to the curb appeal of the home.

Curb appeal for those of you who may not be aware of is that first impression you get when you come to a home for the first time.  A healthy green lawn adds to the curb appeal and creates a positive impression for anyone visiting.

On the other end of the scale, we have all seen them. The lawns that have never been cared for, often full of weeds and really looking bad. In the dry summer months, the only thing that is green is the weeds that are growing on the lawn. The grass has wilted and gone into hibernation until the next rain comes along. The owners certainly do not water the lawns at all. It is unfortunate, but these people make it difficult for everyone else in the neighborhood. The seeds from these weeds blow to our lawns as well. What is surprising is that it really does not take much effort to maintain a good looking lawn.

Simple Lawn Care Steps to Keep Your Lawn Healthy

• Fertilize four times a year
• Water once per week
• Apply weed killer several times a year
• Pull all weeds that you see so they cannot get started
• Cut your lawn at regular intervals so that no more than 1 inch is cut at a time

Lawn Care the Easy Way

Many people just do not want to put in the effort to have a great lawn. Some do not want to spend the money and we will deal with it in a later paragraph. Lawn care can be really simple.  A healthy lawn can be maintained by simply making sure that the lawn is watered regularly and that the weeds are killed off. Hire a lawn care company that comes at regular intervals to spray your lawn and kill off the weeds. Add a bag of grass seed in the spring.

Although you will not have a perfect lawn, your lawn will be at the 95% level. It gets expensive and time-consuming to get to that last 5%, but at least you have a healthy lawn. A healthy lawn will help to keep the weeds down since they cannot get started if there is lots of strong healthy grass. Cut the lawn on regular intervals and fertilize 4 times a year. You can do these last steps yourself or you can hire a lawn care company to do all of this for you.

Lawn Care Doing It Yourself

If you do not have the money or just prefer to do your own lawn care, it is not that hard and does not take that much time. We listed the main steps above that a person should follow to enable a beautiful lawn. It is as simple as that. During the dry summer months, allow your lawn to grow a bit longer so that the lawn insulates the soil and prevents moisture from evaporating quickly. You can easily do this by raising the height of your lawnmower by an inch to allow the grass to grow longer. lower it again in the fall when it is cooler and more rain usually falls.

Another step that I follow in addition to the above that we mentioned at the beginning of the post is to go around and dig out any weeds you see. I try to go around once every two weeks and using a wide blade dig out the weeds I see by the root. It only takes about 5 minutes and it prevents these weeds from getting established and killing the grass around them. We have a lot of dandelions in our area and they have wide leaves, long roots that go deep and they seem to thrive even in the driest conditions. Dig these out at regular intervals to maintain your lawn and prevent them from taking over!

Comments are welcome. Comments that are aimed at lawn care and provide ideas about maintaining a great lawn are accepted even with a link back to your site. All other comments will be deleted. We want comments that our readers will find helpful.

Green Lawns with Green Methods is the new approach to lawn care. There is a new trend taking place in many localities were they are doing away with pesticides and the use of any chemicals to control weeds and grow nice green lawns. What is the average gardener to do in this new situation? How does the average consumer maintain their lawn, control the weeds and keep their lawn lush and healthy?

Well it turns out to be relatively easy. All it takes is the following and I will expand later in this post:

• Water your lawn on a regular basis
• Add fertilizer at least four times a year, without the pesticides
• Cut your lawn at least weekly
• Allow your lawn to grow longer during dry periods
• Never cut your lawn really short
• Never cut more than an inch at a time
• Routinely pull weeds each week from your lawn

Green Lawns with Green Methods

Here is some more detail about each of these suggestions.

Water your lawn on a regular basis

Always water your lawn for at least an hour once a week or at least an inch of water to make sure that the roots receive sufficient water to help them grow deeper. You can place a small can were you are watering to make sure that you are delivering sufficient water to your lawn.

Add fertilizer at least four times a year, without the pesticides

There are still some fertilizers that offer pesticides mixed in with them to kill off the weeds and fertilize the grass. However more and more cities and towns are making them illegal, so the best way to combat weeds is to make sure that you have a very healthy lawn so that weeds cannot get a foot hold in your lawn. Fertilize at least 4 times a year and use the correct fertilizer for each season of the year to make sure you have a green lawn.
Cut your lawn at least weekly

Your lawn should be cut more often rather than waiting until it gets too long. At the most you should be cutting no more than an inch of grass each time, otherwise it shocks the lawn too much. Also a sharp blade is very important. A sharp blade cuts while a dull blade tears the grass and makes it tougher for the grass to be healthy.

Allow your lawn to grow longer during dry periods

If you are going through a dry period, allowing your lawn to grow a bit longer is better to provide more protection for the roots and preventing the ground from drying out. Set your lawn mower higher so that the grass can grow longer and still cut no more than an inch at a time.
Never cut your lawn really short

Some people like to cut their lawn really short, however this makes it more susceptible to drying out, weeds and damage. If you really want the lawn short, then water more often and spread your fertilizer so that it goes on well spread out to avoid burning.
Never cut more than an inch at a time

We have emphasized this several times. It is more important to cut the lawn more often and just trim it instead of allowing it to grow long and cutting two or more inches off at a time.

Routinely pull weeds each week from your lawn

One of the impacts of no pesticides for weeds is that you have more weeds. I take five minutes each week and walk the lawn to dig out any weeds that I see. I started in the spring and there seemed to be a lot of weeds to dig out especially dandelions. Now when I walk the lawn there is only maybe 3 or 4 weeds that I find and have to pull out. There are special tools you can purchase to make it easy to get the root and all out or you can just use a sharp chisel to do the same thing.

Hope this post helps people maintain their lawns. We welcome other ideas as well so leave your comments for our readers.